Q: Can any organization be a Madison House Community Partner?
A: Madison House partners with non-profit organizations, human service organizations and public programs on the basis of identified community need. These include: schools, nursing homes, day care centers, medical programs, youth mentoring and recreation programs.
Q: How long is the term or obligation as a CP?
A: While the term for a CP is 1 year, it is a renewable agreement. Many of our CPs have been associated with Madison House for 3-5 years and as many as 30 years. Madison House prides itself in having positive long term partnerships with organizations. Some organizations elect to share the responsibility and/or to rotate the duties.
Q: Can an organization sponsor more than one Madison House program?
A: Yes. While most agencies generally have one Madison House program, some such as the schools receive the benefits of multiple volunteer program initiatives (i.e. Tutoring, Boosters, ESL, etc.)
Q: How many volunteers must be placed with an organization to be a viable site?
A: Generally, the goal is for an organization to sustain a minimum of 10 volunteers to provide weekly service. This can be dispersed between multiple days and shifts.
Q: Are there geographic boundaries to where Madison House will send volunteers?
A: Madison House partners with over 70 agencies and organizations in the City of Charlottesville and County of Albemarle. We do our best to address needs in the city and county by using carpools, but transportation issues continue to be a factor that limits the scope of services we are able to provide. Madison House continues to explore other options on how we can address requests for volunteers by offering training and other outreach to schools and agencies.
Q: Can an agency/organization use other community volunteers if they are a Community Partner with Madison House?
A: Yes. Madison House encourages a diverse volunteer base.
Q: Can an agency/organization use other university student volunteers?
A: Yes. However, most elect to partner with Madison House exclusively because of our approach to volunteer management and student leadership. Madison House has a history of providing quality volunteers, and our student PDs work in cooperation with the CP to provide recruitment, registration, supervision, coordination, training, recognition and evaluation of volunteer services.
Q: Madison House is known for its commitment to weekly service - What options are available if an organization has the need for one time volunteers or single day service projects?
A: If an organization needs one time volunteers, suggest the Virginia Service Coalition, www.virginiaservice.org. Also The Volunteer Center of the United Way-Thomas Jefferson Area 972-1705 or www.unitedwaytja.org or The Senior Center 974-7756.
Q: Are there certain types of volunteer service that is inappropriate for Madison House volunteers?
A: Madison House volunteers do not provide clerical or office support for agencies/organizations.
Q: Are Madison House volunteers permitted to help with an organizations fund raising efforts?
A: Madison House volunteers are not permitted to participate in fund raising as one of their primary responsibilities. The CP may not mandate fund raising from the volunteers either expressed or implied. Should a student wish to participate in an event it must be their initiative and on their time outside of scheduled Madison House programs. That being said, Madison House will give credit for any and all time that our students volunteer with a CP organization as long as it can be documented.
Q: What type of education and training are provided to Community Parnters?
A: In addtion to information in our Madison House Community Partner manual, each CP is expected to personally attend or send an alternate to the annual Community Partner Forum - each year in October. At the CP Forum, a variety of workshops are offered to address issues related to volunteer mangagement, working with college students, etc.
Q: How long does it take to go through the process of becoming a new CP?
A: Madison House consistently receives requests to begin new programs. Consequently, it generally takes a minimum of one semester to complete all the preparation prior to start-up (i.e. program proposal, site visit, identifying a student Program Director, etc.).
Q: How does Madison House evaluate programs?
A: Madison House sends out an evaluation each year for the Community Partner to complete. We also have our Program Directors complete a program evaluation each semester.
